Fiber optic ribbon cable

ABSTRACT

A fiber optic ribbon cable includes a stack of fiber optic ribbons, strength members surrounding the stack, and a jacket defining an exterior of the cable. The jacket forms a cavity through which the stack and the strength members extend. The stack has a bend preference, but the strength members are positioned around the stack or are flexible in bending such that the strength members do not have a bend preference. Furthermore, the jacket is structured such that the jacket does not have a bend preference. The cavity is sized relative to the stack in order to allow the stack to bend and twist within the cavity with respect to the jacket as the cable bends, facilitating movement of the optical fibers of the fiber optic ribbons to low-stress positions within the cavity and decoupling the bend preference of the stack from transfer to the jacket.

BACKGROUND

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to fiber opticcables. More specifically, some aspects of the present disclosure relateto fiber optic cables supporting ribbons of optical fibers, such as fordevice-interconnection applications in data centers and the like.

Demand for increasing bandwidth of data communication systems has beenaddressed by various means, such as using wavelength divisionmultiplexing (WDM). However, costs of transmitters and optical devicesfor WDM to combine signals at the transmitter and separate them back outat the receiver may be prohibitive for some cost-sensitive applications.Another approach to increasing bandwidth has been increasing transmitterspeed from 1 gigabits per second (Gbps) to 10 Gbps, and recently to 25Gbps, with low-cost vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs).However, VCSEL technology may have reached a maximum speed limit of 25Gbps per optical channel and there is demand for 40 Gbps and 100 Gbpssystems.

Yet another low-cost solution for increasing bandwidth is use of VCSELscoupled with parallel-optic transmissions, where a signal may be brokendown into sub-signals, parsed, communicated via into separate opticalfibers for transmission in parallel with one another, and thenreconfigured upon receipt. Standard schemes for parallel-optictransmissions are described in IEEE 802.3-2005: InformationTechnology-Telecommunications information And Exchange BetweenSystems—LAN/MAN—Specific Requirements—Part 3.

Two types of fiber optic cables used with parallel-optic transmissionsystems include loose fiber cables and fiber optic ribbon cables. Ribboncables offer advantages over loose fiber cables, such as orderedarrangements of the optical fibers, facilitating efficient and accurateattachment of a connector to the ribbons. However, traditional ribboncables may exhibit strong preferential bending and/or are inflexible,such as due to the presence of a buffer tube protecting the ribbonstack, arrangements of rigid strength members, and/or a generally longlay-length of the ribbon stack (i.e. distance for one full twist of thestack, which is typically wound within such a cable to reduce stresseson the stack when the cable bends). As such, loose fiber cables arecurrently more-preferred in the industry because they are generallysmaller and more flexible. A need exists for a ribbon cable that isflexible and has little or no bend preference, similar to a loose fibercable, such as for use interconnecting optical devices used withparallel-optic transmission systems.

SUMMARY

One embodiment relates to a fiber optic ribbon cable, which includes astack of fiber optic ribbons, strength members surrounding the stack,and a jacket defining an exterior of the cable. The jacket forms acavity through which extend the stack and the strength members. Thestack has a bend preference, but the strength members are positionedaround the stack or are flexible in bending such that the strengthmembers, when integrated in the cable, do not have a bend preference.Furthermore, the jacket, being round or substantially round and having agenerally uniform thickness, is structured such that the jacket does nothave a bend preference. The cavity is sized relative to the stack withfree space therebetween in order to allow the stack to bend and twistwithin the cavity with respect to the jacket as the cable bends,facilitating movement of the optical fibers of the fiber optic ribbonsto low-stress positions within the cavity and decoupling the bendpreference of the stack from transfer to the jacket.

Another embodiment relates to a fiber optic ribbon cable, which includesa stack of fiber optic ribbons and a jacket that forms a cavity throughwhich extends the stack of fiber optic ribbons. The fiber optic ribbonsof the stack are bound to one another and constrained within a thinmembrane of polymeric material enclosing the stack of fiber opticribbons around the exterior thereof. As such, the thin membrane ofpolymeric material limits movement of the fiber optic ribbons of thestack relative to one another. The polymeric material may be isotropicand continuous. In some such embodiments, the jacket includes aflame-retardant material and has an outer diameter of 5 mm or less. Theflame-retardant material may be particularly soft or flexible, so thejacket thickness is at least 0.45 mm, which prevents kinking But thethickness of the jacket is 1.2 mm or less, which maintains flexibilityof the cable, and allows for insertion of the cable in small passagesand micro-ducts.

Yet another embodiment relates to a fiber optic ribbon cable, whichincludes a stack of fiber optic ribbons. The stack includes at leastthree fiber optic ribbons, where each fiber optic ribbon includes atleast eight optical fibers arranged side-by-side and coupled to oneanother in a common matrix. The matrix may be an ultra-violet lightcurable resin. Each of the fiber optic ribbons of the stack includesuncolored optical fibers, where paints or dyes have not been added todistinguish the fibers from one another. Also, at least one of theoptical fibers of at least one of the ribbons of the stack is colored.Orientation and polarity of one or more of the fiber optic ribbons ofthe stack is identifiable by the arrangement of the colored opticalfiber with respect to the uncolored optical fibers. For example, thecolored optical fiber may be located in the upper-left or anotherparticular corner of the stack to distinguish the corner from othercorners of the stack and hence to provide the orientation of the stack.In other embodiments, the stack may include two ribbons, four ribbons orother numbers of ribbons.

Additional features and advantages are set forth in the DetailedDescription that follows, and in part will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the description or recognized by practicing theembodiments as described in the written description and claims hereof,as well as the appended drawings. It is to be understood that both theforegoing general description and the following Detailed Description aremerely exemplary, and are intended to provide an overview or frameworkto understand the nature and character of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying Figures are included to provide a furtherunderstanding, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiments, andtogether with the Detailed Description serve to explain principles andoperations of the various embodiments. As such, the disclosure willbecome more fully understood from the following Detailed Description,taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fiber optic ribbon cable accordingto an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an assembly for high-speed datacommunication according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before turning to the Figures, which illustrate exemplary embodiments indetail, it should be understood that the present inventive andinnovative technology is not limited to the details or methodology setforth in the Detailed Description or illustrated in the Figures. Forexample, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art,features and attributes associated with embodiments shown in one of theFigures may be applied to embodiments shown in others of the Figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, a fiber optic ribbon cable 110 includes a jacket112 surrounding a stack 114 of fiber optic ribbons 116. According to anexemplary embodiment, the stack 114 of fiber optic ribbons 116 includesat least three fiber optic ribbons 116, where each fiber optic ribbon116 includes at least eight optical fibers 118 arranged side-by-side andcoupled to one another in a common matrix 120, such as an ultra-violetlight curable resin (e.g. acrylate).

Strength members 122, such as aramid and/or fiberglass yarns, may bedisposed between the stack 114 of fiber optic ribbons 116 and theinterior 124 of the jacket 112. In some embodiments, the stack 114includes a thin membrane 126 (e.g., binder, film, encapsulate,tight-buffer) that constrains the individual fiber optic ribbons 116 ofthe stack 114. The thin membrane 126 may be easily stripped from thestack 114 to access individual fiber optic ribbons 116. As shown in FIG.1, the fiber optic ribbon cable 110 is a small, flexible ribbon cableconfigured for use with parallel-optic transmission systems, such as theassembly 210 of FIG. 2.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the strength members 122 are notrigid in bending and/or are positioned uniformly around the stack 114 ofribbons 116. By “not rigid in bending,” Applicants mean that a 20 cmlength of an individual element of the strength member (e.g., one yarn,rod) held horizontally on one end will bend under gravity such that theother end is at least 60-degrees below the horizon. Accordingly, in anysuch arrangement, the strength members 122 do not contributesubstantially to a bend preference of the cable 110. With regard to theterm “bend preference,” Applicants mean that a cantilevered end (withfull moment connection) of the respective element (e.g., a cable lengthof 20 cm) more readily bends in one direction than another such thatthere is a ratio of maximum to minimum bending moment for thecantilevered element that is greater than one, such as at least 1.5.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the strength members 122 aretensile yarns, such as aramid and/or fiberglass yarns. In someembodiments, the strength members 122 include at least two tensile yarnsof at least 800 denier or greater. The strength members may be stranded.For interconnect applications, the strength members 122 include at leastfour tensile yarns of at least 800 denier or greater, and the four yarnsmay be of 1420 denier or greater. The yarns provide tensile strength tothe cable and may reduce friction or other contact between the jacketand the ribbon stack. However, Applicants have found that overcrowdingof the stack 114 with strength members 122 hamper free movement of theribbon stack 114 within the jacket 112. Accordingly, in someembodiments, the cable 110 has eight or less tensile yarns with 2000denier or less.

In some such embodiments, the tensile yarns are disposed in contact withthe stack 114 of ribbons 116. With the tensile yarns exterior to andsurrounding the stack 114, the jacket 112 may be extruded around thetensile yarns without contacting the stack 114. The cable 110 may bemade as an indoor/outdoor cable by adding a water-swell yarn orwater-swell powders, by increasing the amount of tensile yarn, and/or byselecting the appropriate jacket material (e.g., medium densitypolyethylene with carbon black additive). In other contemplatedembodiments, strength members 122 of the cable may be rigid (e.g.,glass-reinforced plastic, steel rods), embedded in the jacket 112,and/or contribute to a bend preference of the cable 110.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the jacket 112 is formed from afire-retardant polymer, such as flame-retardant polyethylene,flame-retardant polyvinyl chloride, or another material, that enablesthe cable 110 to achieve a plenum-, riser-, or low-smoke-zero-halogen(LSZH-) burn listing. However, Applicants have found that use of suchmaterial causes the jacket 112 to kink in bending, resulting in greaterpotential for attenuation, unless the jacket 112 is at least 0.3 thick,such as 0.45 or greater, for a jacket 112 of 5 mm or less in outerdiameter D_(o) (e.g., 4 mm or less). Applicants have found 1.2 mm orless, such as 1 mm or less, to be an upper bound for wall thicknessT_(j) that may provide sufficient flexibility of the cable 110,particularly if no buffer tube or rigid strength members are included.For example, the cable 110 with three eight-fiber ribbons 116, as shownin FIG. 1, has a wall thickness T_(j) between 0.45 to 0.6 mm, whichApplicants find to prevent kinking, provide sufficient fire resistance,and be flexible.

Furthermore, the jacket 112 of the cable 110 may be round orsubstantially round (e.g., octagonal) and uniform in thickness T_(j)such that the jacket 112 does not contribute substantially to a bendpreference of the cable 110. In still other embodiments, the cable maybe a “flat” drop cable having an oblong cross-sectional periphery, ormay be otherwise shaped, such that a bend performance exists, but otherfeatures disclosed herein may be present, such as the ribbon fibercolors, thin membrane 126, and other features.

In some embodiments, a natural or inherent bend preference of the fiberoptic ribbons 116 of the stack 114 is a source of bend preference withinthe cable 110. In some embodiments, the only substantial source of bendpreference within the cable 110 is from the natural bend preference ofthe fiber optic ribbons 116 of the stack 114, such that other sources ofbending preference, such as asymmetry provided by ripcords, markings,and the like, result in bend preference that is less than the bendpreference of the ribbon stack 114 by an order of magnitude or more.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the stack 114 of ribbons 116 isloosely positioned within a jacket 112 such that the stack 114 has roomto flex and bend as the cable 110 bends, allowing the optical fibers 118of the stack 114 to move to low-stress positions as the cable 110 ishandled. Use of free space works in conjunction with the otherstructural features of the cable to reduce the net preferential bend byat least partially decoupling the ribbon stack 114 from the interior ofthe jacket 124. Put another way, elimination of preferential bending maybe achieved, in substance, by allowing sufficient free space within thecable 110 for the ribbon stack 114 to the flex, twist, and adjustposition when the cable 110 bends.

According to an exemplary embodiment, such as one with a roundcross-section of the cable 110, the inside diameter D_(i) of the cable110 is at least 0.2 mm larger than the ribbon stack diagonal D, such asat least 0.4 mm; but, preferably less than 1.0 mm larger, such as lessthan 0.6 mm. Based on Applicants' understanding of the presenttechnology, the following equation provides a theoretical upper bound tothe radius R of the cavity (i.e., half of D_(i), as shown in FIG. 1) fora ribbon stack 114 of n ribbons 116, each of thickness t and of width w,so that the ribbons 116 of the stack 114 are too wide to pass around oneanother in the stack 114 and to move out of order, assuming that thecavity has a circular shape, the ribbons are inflexible, there is nospace between adjacent ribbons of the stack, and that the ribbon stackis not stranded:

${{R^{2} - {w^{2}/4} + \left( {\sqrt{R^{2} + {2{wk}}} + t} \right)^{2}} = 0},{where}$$k = {{{- w}/2} + \sqrt{R^{2} - \left( {{\left( {n - 1} \right)t} - \sqrt{R_{2} - {w^{3}/4}}} \right)^{2}}}$

In other embodiments, the free space may vary based on the number offibers 116 in the ribbons 114 (and corresponding ribbon width), thenumber of ribbons 114 in the cable 110 (and corresponding stack height),and properties of the jacket material, such as jacket roughness orsmoothness, coefficient of friction between the ribbons and the jacketmaterial, modulus or strength of the material, and other properties.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the ribbon stack 114 is encased in a thinmembrane 126 that holds the ribbons together. In some such embodiments,the thin membrane 126 is plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride,polypropylene, polyethylene. According to an exemplary embodiment, thecable 110 is in part manufactured by extruding the thin membrane 126around the stack 114 of ribbons 116. During the process, vacuuming theextrusion cone of the thin membrane 126 may draw down the thin membrane126 about the ribbon stack 114, tightly contacting and constraining thestack. In other embodiments, no membrane is used and the ribbons 116 ofthe stack 114 are free to move relative to one another.

Use of a particularly thin membrane 126, such as 1 mm or less in averagethickness T_(m) or even 0.5 mm or less, constrains the optical fibers116 in the cable 110, but allows the stack 114 to move to low-stresspositions as the cable 110 is handled. Another advantage of the thinmembrane becomes apparent during connectorization with a twenty-fourfiber MPO connector (e.g., connector 212 as shown in FIG. 2). The thinmembrane 126 helps to control the relative movement between the ribbons116, which makes aligning the ribbons 116 easier and facilitates feedingall three ribbons simultaneously into the associated connector(s).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the average thickness T_(m) of thethin membrane 126 is less than that T_(j) of the jacket 112, such asless than half, less than a quarter, or, in some embodiments, less thana tenth that of the jacket T_(j). Accordingly, the membrane 126constrains and binds the ribbon stack 114 while the jacket 112 shieldsthe stack 114 from the environment.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the thin membrane 126 allows foreasy removal of the membrane 126 from the ribbons 116. In somecontemplated embodiments, the overall range for the peak strip forceusing a SOFT-STRIP® tool (available from Micro Electronics, Inc.) at arate of 200 cm/min for a strip length of 50 mm is between 8 N (newtons)to 20 N, preferably less than 15 N and/or greater than 12 N. In otherembodiments, the membrane may have a lesser strip force, such as lessthan 10 N, where the membrane is configured to be torn with one's barefingers.

In contemplated embodiments, with high-performance bend-insensitiveoptical fibers 118 (e.g., some ClearCurve® fibers manufactured byCorning Incorporated), the amount of free space within the ribbon cable110 may be reduced while keeping attenuation due to cable bending withinacceptable levels. For example, some such cables 110 may have an outerdiameter D_(o) of 3.0 mm or less with a wall thickness T_(j) of 0.45 mmor less, and/or an inner diameter D_(i) of about 2.5 mm or less. Somesuch cables, may have about 0.1 mm of free space, but may still haverelatively low attenuation because of the unique properties of thehigh-performance bend-insensitive optical fibers 118.

In some embodiments, the fibers 118 are “bend-insensitive” in thatone-wrap of the fiber 118 around a 10 mm diameter mandrel results in anoptical attenuation increase of less than 0.5 dB, less than 0.3 dB, lessthan 0.2 dB, or even less than 0.15 dB at an 850 nm wavelength, one-wrapof the fiber 118 around a 20 mm diameter mandrel results in an opticalattenuation increase of less than 0.2 dB, less than 0.1 dB, or even lessthan 0.05 dB at an 850 nm wavelength, and/or one-wrap of the fiber 118around a 15 mm diameter mandrel results in an optical attenuationincrease of less than 0.2 dB, less than 0.1 dB, or even less than 0.05dB at an 850 nm wavelength.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the ribbon stack extends throughthe cable in a generally straight manner, without being stranded (e.g.,helically wound). Aided by the relatively large amount of free space inthe cable, the ribbon stack maintains low attenuation in the opticalfibers throughout bends in the cable by translating and/or rotating to alow-stress position within the cavity of the jacket. In othercontemplated embodiments, the cable is stranded and has a particularlyshort lay length (i.e. the lengthwise distance along the cable for onecomplete turn of the twisted stack), such as between 50-250 mm, morepreferably in the range of 60 mm to 120 mm, which allows the cable tobend easily and facilitates use of a ribbon cable in the crowded andlow-space environment of a typical data center. However, providing ashort lay length may reduce the manufacturing line speed relative tounstranded ribbon stacks.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the fiber optic ribbon cable 110 may beterminated with multi-fiber connectors 212 on each end, such as whenused for parallel-optic transmission. The number of fibers 118 in theribbons 116 and the number of ribbons 116 in the cable 110 may bedetermined by the specific application. For example, of two currentconfigurations for parallel optics in the standards, one method usesfour fibers 118 for transmitting and another four for receiving thesignal. Such a system may achieve 40 Gbps with 10 Gbps transmitters or100 Gbps with 25 Gbps transmitters. The second configuration uses tenfibers 118 for transmitting and ten for receiving, which is generallyachieved with two 12-fiber ribbons.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the cable contains optical fiberribbons 116 in which only one 128 of the fibers 118 is colored and therest are not colored. FIG. 1 shows a cable 110 with three 8-fiberribbons 116. Each ribbon 116, as well as its polarity, can be identifiedby the single colored fiber 128. Use of uncolored fibers has theadvantages of reducing the labor involved in making the ribbon byremoving the coloring step for many of the fibers 118 and making theribbon smaller. For example, use of seven uncolored fibers may decreasethe width of an eight-fiber ribbon by about 70 μm. For parallel opticsconfigurations and other such contemplated applications, Applicants havefound that the individual fibers 118 may not need to be separated fromthe ribbon 116 during connectorization. Rather, the complete ribbon maygo into a single connector 212 designed for multiple fibers andidentification of all individual fibers of ribbon may be unnecessary.

To recognize how to align the ribbon, Applicants have found that it issufficient to have one colored fiber in the ribbon. Alignment of theother fibers of the ribbon is correspondingly achieved because thefibers are all held together in the ribbon. For cables with more thanone ribbon, different colors may be used with the colored optical fibersto distinguish the individual ribbons. This process may eliminate a needto print on the ribbons, which is traditionally done to identify theindividual ribbons.

Some cables disclosed herein have the advantage over traditional ribboncables of being smaller, lighter in weight, and/or more flexible. Thesmaller size reduces the amount of materials in the cable and reducesmaterials cost. The cable has an advantage over traditional ribboninterconnect cables of eliminating preferential bending and enablinginterconnect cables with more than two ribbons. Use of only one coloredfiber in the ribbon reduces labor in making the ribbon while maintainingidentification of the sequence of the fibers. Another advantage is thatthe ribbons can be more robust than traditional ribbons because there isno requirement to access each fiber individually. This can be achievedby selecting matrix materials with stronger bonding to the fibers.

Yet another advantage of ribbon cables, disclosed herein, is the abilityto directly connectorized the ribbons (i.e. attach and integrate with aconnector), without a need to “ribbonize” loose optical fibers (i.e.align the fibers side-by-side) or re-sequence loose optical fibers.Optical fiber order and relative positioning within each fiber opticribbon has been maintained by the ribbon matrix. Accordingly, use of theribbon cables may facilitate or enable automation or higherspeeds/efficiency of “jumper,” “pigtail,” or “harness” cable assemblymanufacturing, enhancing productivity and reducing manufacturing costs.

In some embodiments, a cable, with features similar to those of cable110 or other cables disclosed herein, includes a stack of ribbons havingfrom one to twelve ribbons, with each ribbon containing from eight totwelve optical fibers. In other embodiments, the stack 114 includes moreribbons 116 and/or some or all of the ribbons 116 contain more or feweroptical fibers 118, the ribbons of the stack may have differing numbersof optical fibers 118, such as a “pyramid” stack having wider ribbonstoward the base of the pyramid. In contemplated embodiments, the cableincludes more than one stack of fiber optic ribbons. In someembodiments, only one ribbon is used, instead of a stack.

The optical fibers of the fiber optic ribbons may be single-mode fibers,multi-mode fibers, multi-core fibers, bend-insensitive fibers, plasticoptical fibers, or other types of optical fibers. The fiber opticribbons may be fully encased in matrix resin, or only partiallysurrounded by resin or another bonding agent. The cable may be made withone or more electrical conductors, such as for powering an electronicdevice at one end of the cable. In contemplated embodiments, the stackmay be further surrounded by a buffer tube between the strength membersand the jacket or between the stack and the strength members. The cablemay include additional features not shown in the Figures, such as one ormore layers of armor, water-blocking tape, jacket access features, suchas rip cords or co-extruded tear features, and/or other features.

The construction and arrangements of the fiber optic ribbon cables, asshown in the various exemplary embodiments, are illustrative only.Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in thisdisclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes,dimensions, structures, shapes, and proportions of the various members,values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. Someelements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple partsor elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwisevaried, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions maybe altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process, logicalalgorithm, or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according toalternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes andomissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions andarrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing fromthe scope of the present inventive and innovative technology.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fiber optic ribbon cable, comprising: a stackof fiber optic ribbons having a bend preference; strength memberssurrounding the stack of fiber optic ribbons, wherein the strengthmembers are at least one of positioned around the stack and flexible inbending such that the strength members do not have a bend preference;and a jacket defining an exterior of the fiber optic ribbon cable,wherein the jacket forms a cavity through which extends the stack offiber optic ribbons and the strength members; and wherein the jacket isstructured such that the jacket does not have a bend preference; andwherein the cavity of the jacket is sized relative to the stack of fiberoptic ribbons in order to allow the stack to bend and twist within thecavity with respect to the jacket as the cable bends, facilitatingmovement of the optical fibers of the fiber optic ribbons to low-stresspositions within the cavity and decoupling the bend preference of thestack from transfer to the jacket.
 2. The cable of claim 1, wherein thestack of fiber optic ribbons comprises at least three fiber opticribbons, wherein each fiber optic ribbon comprises at least eightoptical fibers arranged side-by-side and coupled to one another in acommon matrix.
 3. The cable of claim 2, wherein the cavity of the jacketis round in cross-section and the stack of fiber optic ribbons isrectangular in cross-section, wherein the diameter of the cavity is atleast 0.2 mm greater than the diagonal of the stack, and wherein thediameter of the cavity is no more than 1 mm greater than the diagonal ofthe stack.
 4. The cable of claim 3, wherein the diameter of the cavityis at least 0.4 mm greater than the diagonal of the stack, and whereinthe diameter of the cavity is no more than 0.6 mm greater than thediagonal of the stack.
 5. The cable of claim 4, wherein the jacketcomprises a flame-retardant material and has an outer diameter of 7 mmor less.
 6. The cable of claim 5, wherein the jacket has a thickness ofat least 0.45 mm.
 7. The cable of claim 6, wherein the thickness of thejacket is 1.2 mm or less.
 8. The cable of claim 7, wherein the strengthmembers adjoin both the stack of fiber optic ribbons and the jacket. 9.The cable of claim 8, wherein the ribbon stack is not stranded, whereinthe cable includes no buffer tube, and wherein the cable includes norigid strength members embedded in the jacket.
 10. A fiber optic ribboncable, comprising: a stack of fiber optic ribbons, wherein the fiberoptic ribbons of the stack are bound to one another and constrainedwithin a thin membrane of polymeric material enclosing the stack offiber optic ribbons around the exterior thereof, whereby the thinmembrane of polymeric material limits movement of the fiber opticribbons of the stack relative to one another; and a jacket that forms acavity through which extends the stack of fiber optic ribbons, whereinthe jacket comprises a flame-retardant material and has an outerdiameter of 7 mm or less, wherein the jacket has a thickness of at least0.45 mm, and wherein the thickness of the jacket is 1.2 mm or less. 11.The cable of claim 10, wherein the stack of fiber optic ribbonscomprises at least three fiber optic ribbons, wherein each fiber opticribbon comprises at least eight optical fibers arranged side-by-side andcoupled to one another in a common matrix, and wherein the membrane is,on average, 1 mm or less thick and is tightly bound to the exterior ofthe stack of fiber optic ribbons such that the thin membrane overlaysthe top- and bottom-most ribbons of the stack of fiber optic ribbons andadjoins lateral edges of one or more fiber optic ribbons interior to thetop- and bottom-most ribbons of the stack.
 12. The cable of claim 11,wherein the polymeric material of the thin membrane is a plenum-ratedpolymer having flame resistance and low-smoke generation.
 13. The cableof claim 12, wherein the jacket cavity is round in cross-section and thestack of fiber optic ribbons is rectangular in cross-section, whereinthe diameter of the cavity is at least 0.4 mm greater than the diagonalof the stack, and wherein the diameter of the cavity is no more than 0.6mm greater than the diagonal of the stack.
 14. A fiber optic ribboncable, comprising: a stack of fiber optic ribbons comprising at leastthree fiber optic ribbons, wherein each fiber optic ribbon comprises atleast eight optical fibers arranged side-by-side and coupled to oneanother in a common matrix; and wherein each of the fiber optic ribbonsof the stack comprises uncolored optical fibers, and wherein at leastone of the optical fibers of the fiber optic ribbons of the stack iscolored whereby orientation and polarity of one or more of the fiberoptic ribbons of the stack is identifiable by the arrangement of thecolored optical fiber with respect to the uncolored optical fibers. 15.The cable of claim 14, wherein each of the fiber optic ribbons of thestack has a colored optical fiber that is different from acorrespondingly-positioned colored optical fiber of every other fiberoptic ribbon of the stack.
 16. The cable of claim 15, wherein each ofthe fiber optic ribbons includes edge fibers on ends of the ribbons, andwherein the colored optical fiber of each of the fiber optic ribbons isan edge fiber.
 17. The cable of claim 16, wherein all optical fibers ofeach ribbon that are not edge fibers are uncolored.
 18. The cable ofclaim 17, wherein one of the edge fibers of each of the fiber opticribbons is uncolored.
 19. The cable of claim 18, further comprising:strength members surrounding the stack of fiber optic ribbons, whereinthe strength members are at least one of positioned around the stack ofribbons and not rigid in bending such that the strength members do nothave a bend preference; and a jacket defining an exterior of the fiberoptic ribbon cable, wherein the jacket is structured such that thejacket does not have a bend preference, wherein the jacket has athickness of at least 0.45 mm, and wherein the thickness of the jacketis 1.2 mm or less, wherein the jacket forms a cavity through whichextends the stack of fiber optic ribbons and the strength members,wherein the strength members adjoin both the stack of fiber opticribbons and the jacket; and wherein the stack of fiber optic ribbons hasa bend preference, and wherein the cavity of the jacket is sizedrelative to the stack of fiber optic ribbons in order to allow the stackto bend and twist within the cavity with respect to the jacket as thecable bends, facilitating movement of the optical fibers of the fiberoptic ribbons to low-stress positions within the cavity and decouplingthe bend preference of the stack from transfer to the jacket.
 20. Thecable of claim 19, wherein the fiber optic ribbons of the stack arebound to one another and constrained within a thin membrane of polymericmaterial enclosing the stack of fiber optic ribbons around the exteriorthereof, whereby the thin membrane of polymeric material limits movementof the fiber optic ribbons of the stack relative to one another, whereinthe stack of fiber optic ribbons comprises at least three fiber opticribbons, wherein each fiber optic ribbon comprises at least eightoptical fibers arranged side-by-side and coupled to one another in acommon matrix, and wherein the membrane is, on average, 1 mm or lessthick and is tightly bound to the exterior of the stack of fiber opticribbons such that the thin membrane overlays the top- and bottom-mostribbons of the stack of fiber optic ribbons and adjoins lateral edges ofone or more fiber optic ribbons interior to the top- and bottom-mostribbons of the stack.